Wednesday, March 27, 2013

One thing we don't see too much of around here is girly girl spaces. Most likely because this mom of three is a mom to all boys. I try to bring in my girly touches here and there through holiday decor {that just might stick around longer than it should}, and bright blossoms. But when it comes to organizing for little lady friends, I haven't had many opportunities to do that, or share that.

That's why Reader Spaces are so awesome! Because I get to live vicariously through you. And get to share spaces that I wouldn't normally get to work on or do here in my own home.

Ursula, from Home Made by Carmona, organized her seven year old daughter's closet. And she did it on a budget and with some creative thinking to ensure that it is super simple for her daughter to maintain going forward.

I had to know....

What is the main function of the space?

"Besides being a place that my 7-year-old stashes her stuff when told to clean her room, this closet space needs to have the highest function on the lowest possible budget. I have high expectations for her closet; I expect it to rat her out when she uses it as a toy box, hold up when she turns it into a secret fort, store all her in-season and out of season clothing, and for the love of organization.... stay relatively clean! *chuckle* Good luck to me, right?"

Any superstar tips for keeping it organized?

"When training a child who has no apparent inclination to organize, I've discovered that simplicity is key! By dividing things into just a few categories, she can easily find what she needs to keep it tidy. I only require 3 things of her; put away her hanging or folded clothes in their proper categories {labeled drawers and clothing tags help}, put her shoes back in her closet when done, and no hiding toys in the closet. To help her follow those rules, I use two small tricks:

I make sure clothing is easily within her reach, and everything has a clearly marked place so there is no guessing.

I separate her frequently used items {shoes, scarves, clothing, even purses} from her out-of-season items, so she has less to handle and won't be overwhelmed. Out-of-season, and special event items are stored up high."

What items did you find were essential when organizing the space, and why?

"My two favorite must-haves when organizing a closet, or any child-friendly space for that matter, is canvas bins and hooks! It just makes tidy do-able! Who can't toss something on a hook or in a bin? Not to say it doesn't require some training... for the first three weeks I was constantly saying, "No kiddo, not on the floor, just toss it on the hook instead". Believe me when I say it is SO worth it in the end!"

What did you do to go the extra mile and "Make it Pretty"?

"Just because we opt to create a functional space doesn't mean it can't be cute! My munchkin looooves all things pink and princessy, so in keeping with her room design, I created closet tags, drawer labels, and even bin labels to all have a hit of her favorite pink color! Plus cute curly fonts help.... and as I always do on my blog, I'm sharing! You can download my printouts for my clothing tags, and three different drawer cover labels on my blog here!"

What items did you DIY to stay on a budget?

"I'm a frugal gal... I mean, I'm a really frugal gal. I "snuck" this closet into my grocery budget by couponing, DIYing and stalking sales. Why buy clothing tags and other labels when you can make them free from paint chip swatches and print your own? I won't bore you here, but I'll try to give you all the DIY and frugal deets in my post, for those who want to know."

How has this project impacted your life for the better?

"Anytime we do more with our decor, such as make an effort to streamline our spaces, and bring habits of order to our lives, we will be impacted for the better. In this case, I know I am helping my darling daughter learn the importance of cleanliness, and the reward of tidy practices."

Gah, I can barely stand the cuteness! But as sweet and pretty as it all is, I can't get over how functional, tidy and simple it is. Ursula provided some really fantastic ideas here, for creating a low budget organized closet, that is fit for a princesss! But just because it's a girl's space, doesn't mean that all of her great ideas can't be adapted for a boy's closet just the same. I would just suggest picking a new color scheme.... although, real men do where pink!

A special thanks to Ursula for stopping by today with her sweet as pie closet! You can check out her blog here.

Who else out there loves to blend the closet with the rest of the room? Me Me Me! How about your favorite frugal tips for organizing a kid's closet?

ATTENTION!! Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition? Have an awesome organizing story to share? I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life. Please submit your story and photos here and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!! Photos should be high resolution and unedited. Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better! Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice! Only love goes on at this blog!

Love the closet! Today we are having room cleaning day for my almost 7 yr old daughter and 10 yr old son (every kids nightmare - especially in the middle of spring break!). Perfect timing for this post - thanks for sharing! I'm hoping to use some of these great ideas!

Love this post. I needed some inspiration for my "big girls" closet. Hubs and I are lucky enough to have his and hers closets so I am free of big smelly shoes and big man-shirts!

This might be a silly question - or maybe others are wondering too: Is it really ok to just help yourself to a bunch of paint chips when you're at Home Depot or wherever? I guess I'm a poindexter... if I'm using them to decide on paint color I help myself freely... but if I knew I'd be using them for a craft I'm afraid it'd feel like stealing. (I should lighten up... right?!)

I always keep all my paint swatches {which I select multiple variations of when working on a space}, in a basket. And over time I have created quite the stock pile which I could craft from. I think there is no harm if you are doing it for the sake of ultimately purchasing paint first and crafting second. :D

Thank you so much for the feature Jen! And you are SO right, whether boys or girls, we can all have fantastically functional and cute spaces! How about a deal, I'll do all the flowers, hearts, pinks & purples here with my three girls, and you do all the darling blues & greens, trains & planes, I don't get to do. *wink* See, we balance it all out in the end! *chuckle*

This is GORGEOUS! We just moved across country into a smaller (rental) home and these ideas will really help. My daughter just turned 16 and will love every idea here...especially the cute purse hooks. :) Thanks for sharing .

On her blog she said that she purchased cheap shower hooks from Goodwill and just bent the ends so the purses could be hung from them. She definitely lucked out with them - they match the rest of the closet perfectly!

I am so glad you posted this reader space. I have 2 girls (3 & almost 7) that share a room. Organizing their closet is getting tougher as they get older. I think I need to look into adding some more shelving and those adorable hooks. I posted a pic of their closet on my blog. If you check it out and have any ideas, I'd love the input. By the way, I also have a 9 yr old boy that's really into Nerf and Legos...a nightmare to organize! We are going to put a thin rod on the side wall of his closet and hang S hooks from it for the Nerf guns. I got the idea from a youtube video he was watching. Thanks for all your hard work!

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